A TELEVISION watchdog has promised to study an advertisement for WH Smith which has been criticised as "offensive" to Geordies.

The Christmas commercial, starring Only Fools and Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, features an overweight family from Newcastle eating messily in front of the television.

The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has received 32 complaints about the advertisement and will look to see whether it breaches its Code of Advertising Standards and Practice.

A spokeswoman for the ITC said: "A third of the complaints is about the portrayal of obesity while the other two-thirds are to do with regional stereotyping."

The Code of Advertising Standards and Practice states: "No advertisement may offend against good taste or decency or be offensive to public feeling and no advertisement should prejudice respect for human dignity."

The ITC spokeswoman said a decision on whether the advertisement has breached the code is likely within two to three weeks.

A statement by WH Smith said: "We apologise profusely for any offence caused and can assure you that all comments will be noted and collated with our extensive customer research that we commission on all advertising."